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Pruning trees: how to prune trees

We explain why you should prune trees, the time of year it’s useful to prune trees, and what tree pruning tools are ideal for the job.

11.02.2025

A man wearing STIHL protective gloves and a branch saw looking at a deciduous tree in the garden

Overview: Pruning trees

  • Pruning ensures healthy trees and lots of fruit

  • Do not leave branch stubs

  • Remove troublesome branches and water shoots

  • Cut thick and long branches off in several steps

Tree pruning is only needed infrequently, but it should be done properly. Although there are mountains of technical literature on pruning trees, we’ve put together some simple tips that will make it easy to get your trees at home back in shape and keep them healthy.

Why should you cut back trees?  

Pruning trees ensures that enough oxygen and light reach the plant, preventing fungal infections. Pruning also promotes the growth of thick and stable branches. This means that the tree grows in a controlled manner and forms a beautiful crown.

Knowing when to cut back trees can also help prevent other issues. Rotten, diseased and dead branches are breeding grounds for disease and might well break off on their own. In older trees, the crown tends to become too dense, too tall or too wide, which can cause high levels of humidity in your garden’s microclimate. This results in dense moss growth on the trunk and branches.

You should also prune if a tree is casting too much shade or branches are growing against the wall of your house.

Tree pruning due to a traffic safety obligation

Property owners must prevent potential hazards that could be caused by their trees. They are therefore obligated to remove dead branches, for example, to pay attention to tree stability and, if in doubt, consult an arborist. Remove any branches that could potentially pose a danger to others, such as those projecting onto roads or paths.

When should you prune trees?

When considering whether to prune your trees, the time of year plays an important role. While trees can be pruned year-round, it’s best to do it in summer, autumn or late winter.

Deciduous tree in a garden in autumn

Pruning in summer is ideal because wounds generally heal better then. The warm season is the right time to thin out crowns, and remove vertical water shoots at the same time. The faster healing process is especially beneficial for thick branches or trees such as the ornamental cherry, the wounds of which are usually slow to heal.

However, you should not prune from late summer until when the leaves change colour, because the trees shift important nutrients from the leaves to the roots at this time. If you cut off too much foliage, it will weaken the tree. 

Autumn pruning is usually a bit easier because the trees are free of leaves, making the shape of the tree crown and the individual branches more visable.

In late winter, trees such as Norway maple and stone, pome and berry fruit in particular tolerate pruning better because their reserves are full to the brim. If you prune trees in winter, choose a dry and frost-free day.

Tree pruning: legal requirements and bird protection

Pruning of hedges and woody plants in spring and summer may disturb nesting birds and should be avoided. As long as no birds are breeding in the woody plant and no other animals live in it, shaping and maintenance pruning and traffic safety measures that cannot be postponed can be undertaken during this period. However, each municipality may enact its own tree protection bylaws, so please check with your municipality before cutting down or heavily pruning a tree.

When should you prune “bleeding” trees?

After pruning or bark injury, trees such as birch, walnut and maple will ooze a fluid consisting of dissolved sugars, amino acids and minerals. This is referred to as a “bleeding tree”. It is best to prune bleeding trees immediately after leaf emergence in the spring, as wound sealing ↓ is also best at the start of vegetation, because the tree is in full growth mode and can respond better to injury.

Cutting back trees correctly: topiary and maintenance pruning

Not all pruning is the same, and trees rarely need to be pruned back radically. Topiary and maintenance pruning will keep the tree looking better, growing more healthily, and bearing more fruit.

Lopping

If your tree has a lot of side shoots on the trunk, you can remove them by lopping. The tree will then look less bulky and you will create space for a path or a comfortable seat. Cut the branches to about head height, but be mindful of the tree’s proportions. If you don’t think the size of the trunk looks in proportion to the volume of the crown, you should also thin out part of the crown.

A woman cutting a branch from a tree fork using the STIHL GTA 26 cordless garden pruner

Maintenance pruning/relief pruning

Decay or storms can cause branches to become detached or broken, meaning that they need to be cut back to the appropriate length. Branch forks can also be weak points if two branches of equal strength branch at the same point and at the same angle. Check locations such as these for cracks or remove one of the two branches promptly to limit the risk of injury from falling branches.

A woman pruning a fruit tree with STIHL secateurs

More fruit, cut by cut

By pruning fruit trees, you not only ensure a beautiful shape, but above all that the trees produce abundant blossoms and therefore fruit. Healthy growth also results in high-quality fruit. For tips on how to prune fruit trees, see our guide on this topic.

Pruning: the right tool

You need the right tool for careful tree pruning. The choice of tool depends on the work steps and the position and thickness of the branches. You can use pruning shears to trim and cut thinner twigs and branches, while loppers are the right choice for thicker twigs and branches, and high branches are best trimmed with a pole pruner. STIHL offers a wide selection of pruning shears and branch saws for thick and thin branches.

Tips & tricks for pruning trees correctly

Trees are not as forgiving of pruning mistakes as perennials or vigorous ornamental shrubs. Incorrectly cut, thicker branches can tear a piece of bark off the trunk and seriously injure the tree. With our tips and the right tools, you can prune your trees expertly and gently.

Caution: When working on a tree, be sure to secure the work area so that no people or animals can enter the area where branches and twigs will be falling. Also, never work with a chainsaw at head height, overhead or on a ladder.

A man wearing STIHL protective gloves and safety glasses examining a branch in the garden.

Do not leave any branch stubs behind

Be sure to cut branches on trunks or side shoots cleanly at the branch shoulder so that no branch stubs (referred to as hat hooks or clothes hooks) are left behind. These will not grow again and will dry out, and even very clean cuts heal poorly. Over time, the branch stubs dry out. In the worst instance, they can rot, and rot can spread to the healthy wood.

A person cutting a twig using secateurs

Cutting to the outside eye

A tree’s buds are the thickenings on the branches. Pruning can activate buds so shoots emerge from them. The bud closest to the cut will sprout most strongly. Since in most cases the bud will shoot in the direction it is pointing, with careful pruning you can direct the growth of the sprout and encourage the formation of side shoots. Cut the branch at a slight angle a few millimetres above a bud. If you cut too close to the bud, it will dry out. On the other hand, if a stub is left standing, it will dry up and develop into a miniature hat hook.

A woman removes water shoots from a deciduous tree in the garden

Removing water shoots

Water shoots, also called water sprouts, are very dense shoots that grow straight up and are especially common on fruit trees. A crown that is overgrown with water shoots will be shaded and it is more difficult for it to dry out after rainfall. Cut off the shoots close to the base. If the water shoots are still thin, you can tear them off.

A person cuts a branch from a tree crown using the STIHL PB 11 bypass pruning shears

Pruning tree crowns

To reduce crowns, thin them out – it’s best to prune tree crowns using pruning shears or a saw. Don’t just keep the crown in shape; instead, trim it so it grows loosely. Remove shoots that grow inward and too steeply upward. If branches are rubbing against each other or are interfering with each other, you should saw off the excess branches. However, never remove more than a quarter of a live crown at a time, and do not cut branches more than 10 centimetres in diameter unless you have a very good reason for doing so, as this represents significant interference with the tree’s growth.

A man in work gear using the STIHL HTA 56 cordless pole pruner to cut off a small branch from a deciduous tree

Diverting branches  

Cut off whole branches directly at the next side branch or alternatively above a branching side branch that is growing in a suitable direction. This then takes over the function of the cut-off branch and should be a good third as thick as the one you have cut off. This will make the crown smaller, but ensure that it retains its natural growth shape.

A man saws a branch off a tree from top to bottom, along the branch collar

Cutting branches and side shoots at the branch collar

The bulging thickening between the branch base and the trunk is called the branch collar. The collar plays a central role in wound healing. Therefore, you should always cut branches and twigs at the collar, i.e. not directly on the trunk. At this heavily loaded point, the branch also has the task of providing the necessary stabilization, and so it must be left uninjured.

Apply the saw from above and cut the branch quickly and at a slightly slanted angle away from the trunk.

A man cutting a branch from a deciduous tree with the STIHL HTA 56 cordless pole pruner.

Shortening high branches

When cutting high up in the tree, it is important that you hook your work tool, such as the STIHL HTA 66 pole pruner, to the harness. This secures the tool and prevents it from falling. Of course, the same pruning rules apply as when pruning in the lower part of the tree. Never work under a branch. Once you have sawn off a branch, clear it out of the way before continuing.

Cutting thicker branches in several steps

Thick branches with a diameter of more than 4 or 5 centimetres should be sawn off in several steps, because their weight often tears a strip of bark off the trunk when they fall, damaging it. So proceed in four simple steps:

Tree pruning seal on trees

If you are working with a sharp blade, you usually do not need to additionally seal the cut wound after pruning the tree. Clean wounds will heal on their own. If the cut has become untidy, smooth the ragged edge with a sharp blade.

Disposing of tree cuttings

After tree pruning, you will have some cuttings and garden waste to dispose of. You can cut up the tree trimmings and turn them into firewood, or process them in a shredder to make valuable mulch or compost material. You can also still use longer, well-shaped branches as supports, climbing aids or natural bed borders.

Pruning is part of maintaining your trees. Our tips make tree care very easy, and helps you keep your trees healthy. Because even though trees are decidedly low-maintenance plants, they need a little support.